Gboege joseph spenneberg



(No Model.)

; G. J.' SPENNEBBRG.

SHAFT HOLDER.

l .I Mv 5, I mi m 3\ e M e Patnted Mar. 1s. 1888.

UNTTED STATES PATENT Trice! GEORGE JOSEPH SPENNEBERG, OF WORTHVILLE, KENTUCKY, ASSIGNOR OF ONEHALF TO EUGENE XV. BURGE AND ZACHARTAHm T. WEBSTER, OF SAME PLAGE.

SHAFT-HOLDER.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,547, dated March 13, 1888-.

Application filed December 10, 1887. Serial No. 257,541. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, it may concern: isin an elevated position. Furthermore,in the Beit knowntliatl, GEORGE JOSEPHSPENNE shaft, thill, or tongue a curved arm secured BERG, a citizen of the United States, residing thereto, an axle, a plate secured to the under at Worthville, in the county of Carroll and side of the axle by a clip and having one of State of Kentucky, have invented anew and its sides formed into a barrel or casing,a spring 55 usefulImprovenientinShaft-Holders, of which located in the barrel or casing, and a bolt cathe following is a specification. pable of limited movement in the barrel or cas- This invention relates to shaftholders. ing and acted upon by the spring, the tendency The object of the present invention is the of which is to force the bolt into an extended 1o production of a shaft-holder whichwill, when position, and,'finally, in various novel details 60 the shafts, tongue, or thills of a vehicle are of construction, whereby the foregoing objects raised, automatically lock them in an elevated are attained and the device rendered positive position and securely retain them in that poand reliable. Y sition until released by a pull upon a cord, In theaccompanying drawings, forming part wire, or similar means connected with a latch of this specification, and in which like letters 65 for disengaging the same to permit the shafts, of reference designate corresponding parts, tongue, or thills to be lowered to their normal Figure lis a perspective View of a shaft-holder posit-ion; and, furthermore, the object ot the embodying my improvements, the shaft being invention is to provide a shaft-holder which in its normal position. Fig. 2 is a transverse will be compact, strong and durable, simple sectional view of the same with the shaft in an 7o and cheap in construction, and positive and elevated position. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the reliable in operation. Y. bottom of the shaft-holder, illustrating the Theinvention consists in ashaftholder comlatch mechanism and the means employed to prising a curved arm, one end of which being disengage the latch.

suitably connected to the shaft, thill, or tongue In the accompanying drawings,A designates 75 by bolts, screws, or the like, the other end of the shaft or thill, having on its lower side the the curved arm being wedge shaped and havshaft-strap B, secured to it by bolts and nuts or 'ing a depression, concavity, or hole it, and a similar means. The shaft-or thill is connected spring-latch secured' to the axle or running to the axle C by means of the shaft-strap B,

gear, whereby when the shafts, thills, or tongue which is hinged to two projections, d d', of the 80 is raised the wedge-shaped end of the curved clip D. On the upperside of theshaft or thill arm will engage the spring-latch, which will A is provided a curved arm, E, which is first retain the shaft, thill, or tongue in an elevated bent upward and then backward in a horizontal position. Furthermore, in ashaft-holder comdirection. The lower end, e, 0f the curved 3 5 prisinga curved arm one end of which is snitarm E is spread out and made to conform to 8 5 ably connected to the shaft, thill, or tongue, the configuration of the upper surface of the the other end of the curved arm being wedgeshaft or thills A, to which it is fastened by shaped and having a depression, concavity, or means of a bolt passing through the lower end, hole in it, a spring-latch fastened to the axle e, the shaft or thill A, and the shaft-strap B.

4o and adapted to be engaged by the wedge-shaped The upper end, e', of the curved arm E is at- 9o end of the curved arm when the shaft, thill, tened and the under side of it as it approaches or tongue is raised, and a guide located at the the edge is inclined, making the end e' wedgerear of the spring-latch, and a cord secured to shaped. A hole, e2, is punched or otherwise the bolt of the spring-latch and passing through formed in the end e for the reception of a bolt,

the guide, whereby the shafts, thills, or tongue G, hereinafter to be fully described. 95 may be lowered, when desired, by a pull on the It is obvious that a depression or concavity cord. Furthermore, the combination, with an might be made in the bottom of the wedgeaXle provided with a latch, of the shaft, thill, shaped end e for the reception of the bolt G or tongue provided with an arm adapted to without departing from the spirit of my invenengage the latch when the shaft,thill,or tongue tion; but I prefer, as illustrated in the draw- 10o ings, that the hole et should extend entirely kthrough the wedge-shaped end.

A plate, F, is fastened to the axle@ by means o1 a clip, D, which has formed on oneside,{the sideto which theshaft or thill `A is connected.) two small projections, d and d, between which the ends ofthe shaft strap B are hinged by a bolt which passes through holes in the projections d and d and through the end of the shaft-strap B, which is formed to receive it. The threaded ends of the clip D, which surrounds the axle A, pass through holes provided for their reception in the plate F, that is secured to the clip by nuts, which take upon the threaded ends. One side of the plate F is constructedk to form a barrel or casing, j', adapted to receive a bolt,G,and a spiral spring, H, the whole forming a spring-latch. The barrel kor casingjis slotted atf, and in this slot slides a pin, g, which is fixed to thebolt G and has an eye formed in its outer end.

- This pin g, working in the slotf, limits the movement of the bolt G. The length of the movement `is regulated by the length of the slot.

In the back of the barrel or casingfis placed a spiral spring, H, which bears upon the bolt G and keeps it in an extended position. A small guide, ff, is fixed to the rear of the barrel or casingf,-and through this guide passes a cord, wire, or the like, I, which is tied or otherwise secured to the eye of the pin g,

whereby, when desired, the Llatch may be withdrawn by a pull on the cord I. Then the vehicle is not in use and it is desired that the shafts or thill should be elevated and out of the way, they are raised and the outer end, c, of the curved arm is brought in contact with the spring-latch and the bolt G engages the hole ci and locks the curved arm E, which thereby retains the shafts or thills in an elevated position. As soon as it is desired to lower them, the bolt G is pulled back and out of engagement with the hole e2 by means of the cord I. V

From the foregoing it will be clearly seen that a shaft-holder of the described construction will be compact, strong, and durable, and will, when the shafts or thills are raised, automatically lock vthem in an elevated position and hold them there until it is desired to release them.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. Ashaft-holder comprising a curved arm, one end of which being suitably connected to the shaft, thill, or tongue, theotlier end being wedgeshaped and having a depression,

concavity, or hole, and a spring-latch secured to the axle or running-gear and adapted to be end being suitably/.connected to kthe shaft or thill, the other end being provided with a depression, concavity, or hole, a latch fastened to arm, a guide located at the rear of the latch, and a cord, wire, or the like secured to the bolt of the latch and passing through theguide, whereby the bolt may be withdrawn from engagement withthe arm by a pull on the cord, wire, or the like, substantially as and for the purpose described.

` 3. kThe combination, with the axle provided witha latch on its rear side, of the shaft, thill,

or tongue having a curved arm adapted to pass over the axle and engage the latch when the shaft, thill, or tongue is in an elevated position, substantially as set forth.

4. In a shaftholder, the combination, kwith the axle and the shaft or thill mounted thereon and havingthe curved arm E, p rovided with a hole, socket, or depressiomot' theplate secured to the axle and having a barrel or casing, f, the :boltinounted in the said barrel or the axle and adapted to be engaged by the casing and adapted to engage the hole, socket,

or depression iirthe arm E, and the spring disposed in the barrel or casing in rear of the bolt and adapted to normally hold it extended, substantially as specified.

5. In a shaft-holder, the combination, wit-l1 the axle and the shaft or thill mounted thereon and carrying a rigid arm provided with a hole, socket, or depression, ofthe plate F, attached to the axle, the spring-actuated bolt mounted thereon and adapt-ed to engage the hole, socket, or depression in the said arm, and the cord, wire, or the like connected to the bolt, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE JOSEPH SPENNEBERG. iVitnesses:

JAMES G. GosHn, ERNEST G. SMITH. 

